This Is Why People Born in the '90s Are Having Less Sex

Ain't no body got time to get frisky
- byFaye Brennan

Aug
2016

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Though some might assume that every 20-something out there is running around racking up (and shacking up with) multiple sex partners, a new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that people born in the ‘90s might actually be surprisingly...celibate.

For the study, researchers looked at data collected from over 26,000 adults in a national survey conducted from 1972 to 2014. The survey asked respondents questions about their sexual behaviour, including how many people they'd slept with since turning 18. After separating the results into generations, the researchers found that, “millennials born in the ‘90s were significantly more likely to report no sexual partners after age 18 than Gen X’ers born in the late 1960s.” Compared to people born in the '80s, the babies of the '90s were 41 percent more likely to say they'd never had sex as an adult.

So, what does this mean? Well, when your parents were in their early twenties, they were probably having a lot more sex than you. (Um, ew?) But also, the idea that sex-on-demand is a thing thanks to Tinder and other hookup apps may not be true.

In fact, technology may actually be distancing people from connecting in real life, making it that much harder to get it in. At least, that’s the theory of the lead study author, Dr Jean M. Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor and author of the book Generation Me. (Spice up your solo sex life with these toys from the Women's Health Boutique.)

But, Twenge and the other researchers also offer up a few other plausible explanations: '90s kids seem to be living with their parents longer and getting married later. Plus, they're more concerned about their safety than previous generations, which would be a reason to wait longer to have sex.

In any case, this study seriously crushes stereotype about the Tinder generation.